From Hog's Castle With Love
by Lady GreyWolf
Summary: A collection of one-shots and missing scenes related to An Unexpected Journey and its sequels. HP/OUAT. Prompts can be submitted through my Tumblr-page. Ratings vary and are written at the top of each chapter!
1. Given To You

**This is a collection of one-shots and missing scenes to accompany **_**An Unexpected Journey**_** and its sequels. If you feel like something is missing from the original story, please send me a message on my Tumblr (doorinthegrove) and I'll try to write something as soon as possible :)**

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><p><strong>#1: Given To You (rating: T)<strong>

_Missing EF-scene based on Robin's déjà vu feeling regarding Regina saying "You can't steal something that's been given to you" in Storybrooke (AUJ chapter 29)._

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><p><em>7 months prior<em>

_Dark Palace, Enchanted Forest_

She was pacing in front of her desk when he entered and glared at him when he did not bother to knock. He infuriated her to no end and yet she always found her gaze drawn to him when they met. And every time he noticed he would have that infuriatingly annoying grin tugging at his lips and she would have to fight back an equally infuriating blush, which would also keep her from concentrating on what she had intended to do in the first place.

In short; Robin Hood was an infuriating distraction and, back when Regina had been the Evil Queen, she would have dealt with him as she always had dealt with infuriating distractions.

But now she was not the Evil Queen anymore. At least not like she had been back then; she was still boiling with hatred, though this time for her newfound sister, Zelena, instead of Snow White, but she felt no hatred towards the man that now, while smirking, closed the door to the room she referred to as her office. It was not like the office she had had as Mayor back in Storybrooke, but it was better to meet him here than in her private chambers. This felt safer. A _lot_ safer.

"You wished to see me, your majesty?" Robin said, still smirking at her. It was warm out today and he had shed his outer layers of clothing, leaving him in an old, yellowing shirt and a leather vest on his upper body. His shirt was unbuttoned at the top, revealing a patch of tanned skin. Regina quickly averted her gaze and put on her best queenly mask, waving her hand at the set of gold-tipped arrows resting on her desk.

"A reward", she said, "for helping me break into my own castle."

Robin's eyebrows shot up in surprise and Regina felt at least some satisfaction at the fact that she had done something he had not expected of her.

"Payment for breaking in?" he asked in his accented voice.

"Yes", Regina responded and walked around her desk, sitting down on her chair. "That'd be all."

Robin stepped forward and she purposely kept her gaze lowered. It did not, however, keep her from smelling that all-too familiar smell coming off of him as he moved. Forest. Pine trees. Even after spending all these months in the castle that smell clung to him.

"Forgive me, your majesty", Robin said and stopped in front of the desk, "but I think you have me wrong."

"I'm sorry?" she responded, her gaze shooting up and an insulted tone lingering in her voice. He huffed and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I do not demand payment", he said. "That's not why I've stayed here during these months."

"Of course it is", she scoffed. To her surprise he then leaned forward, resting his hands on the desk and bringing his face down to her level. She unwillingly pulled back.

"I do not want payment", he said, his voice low. "At least not like this."

She inhaled sharply and rose.

"How dare you?" she spat out. "This is the payment I'm giving you, thief, nothing else. At least you can't steal something that's been given to you."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Robin asked and straightened, still remaining far too close for her liking. She was very tempted to throw a fireball at him.

"Do you think I'll steal something else if I remain here, your majesty?" he clarified. _Yes_, she thought. Deep inside she was afraid of exactly that, though it was not a trinket or some old treasure chest being stolen that worried her. It was something entirely different.

"Take them", she spat out and turned around, "and leave."

For a few moments there was nothing but silence and her frantically beating heart. Then she heard how he picked the arrows up off the table and turned, his boots hitting the marble at a steady beat.

"Regina", he said and she stiffened. He had called her that when they had broken into her castle, _this_ castle, all those months ago, but since then he had stuck to calling her _majesty_. Hearing him call her by her first name left her vulnerable.

"I have two reasons for remaining here, Regina", he now said, "and neither of them is payment."

Then he slipped back out into the corridor and she let out a shuddering breath. She could not let him get this close to her. Every time she had those people had suffered and, when she was alone, Regina could admit that she did not want Robin Hood to suffer. Not more than he already had.


	2. Saving Henry

**#2: Saving Henry (rating: K+)**

_Two missing SB-scenes recounting what Hook was up to during the final meeting at __Granny's__ (AUJ chapter 59). Based off of the original script._

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><p><em>Present Time<em>

_Storybrooke, Maine_

Rumplestiltskin had caught him off-guard, though for someone with his magic that was not exactly a hard thing to do. This thought, however, did not quell Killian's annoyance as he was bound, gagged and thrown into the trunk of a car, which his captor then drove who knows where. He knew the Dark One was bringing him to his mistress, but where she might be waiting for them was another question entirely.

The car pulled to a stop and Killian strained his ears.

"A rose", he could hear Rumplestiltskin say, his muffled voice tinted with irony. "How lovely."

"Have you earned it?" came the accented response from the Witch. The trunk hatch opened above Killian's head with a squeak and, despite only being kept in the dark for a short time, he squinted at the light streaming in. Rumplestiltskin and Zelena were looking down at him; the former unemotional and detached, the latter triumphant. Zelena was dressed in a dark, short cape, held together by her green emerald at the neck, and, as usual, also sported a pair of green gloves. In her gloved hands she held a red rose.

"It appears you have", she said, sounding pleased, before she reached down and ripped the gag away from Killian's mouth. He let out a small, displeasured grunt at the pain in his jaws, but the contempt he felt for the Witch looming above him soon made him forget about that.

"We're in Storybrooke", he growled. "You've never heard of a telephone?"

Zelena giggled in amusement and brought the rose down, allowing the petals to glide across his lips. He fought the urge to throw his head up and bit her gloved hand.

"Such pretty lips", she mused, "and so wasted."

She straightened up again.

"Why haven't you used those _luscious _lips and kissed Emma?"

"Well, a fella likes to be courted", he replied and gave her a sarcastic smile. Zelena's eyes hardened at once.

"This isn't a joke!" she spat. "I need to have her magic removed. If Snow's baby is born before your kiss, I'm going to have no other option."

Her lips tilted somewhat upwards in a new, triumphant smile.

"I'm going to have to start killing people; people that Emma loves. Starting with her son."

She threw the rose onto his chest and he tried to shoot her a murdering glare, though the cold hand clutching his heart might have taken some of the strength out of it. Henry. He liked the boy, even without his real memories, and knew with utmost certainty that even if he had not been Emma's son he would not have let him be killed. Now he just had a stronger motivator as to why he should save him.

"Take away her magic, Captain", Zelena said, "or the next rose will be for her little brat's grave."

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><p>Rumplestiltskin drove them back to town and dropped him off, cutting his ropes by magic and then disappearing again. Killian hurriedly collected himself and made for <em>Granny's<em>. He got there from the back, just in time to see Henry sneak past the windows on the side of the building and, while crouching, trying to unlock Emma's yellow car. Killian would not have been able to mistake the look in the boy's eyes even if he had tried to; Henry was trying to run away.

"Where're you off to then, mate?" he asked after sneaking closer. Henry jumped and spun around, trying to hide the keys he had obviously stolen from his mother behind his back.

"Nowhere", Henry quickly responded and put on a smile. Killian fought back a smile of his own; the boy was trying to trick him, a pirate, the legendary Captain Hook. If only he knew.

"You're in quite the rush to go nowhere", he pointed out. Henry lowered his gaze.

"Fine", he sighed. "I'm... going home."

"You're running away", Killian corrected and walked closer.

"Whatever", Henry replied, shrugging his shoulders.

"So you're planning on _driving_ all the way back to New York?" Killian asked, nodding at the yellow car behind Henry. "One lesson and you think you're ready for that?"

"No", the boy muttered, "just the nearest bus station."

If it was not for the fact that there were no buses going out of Storybrooke, Killian might have liked that idea. Now Henry would end up waiting for the bus by the side of a road, completely unprotected and unknowing of what plans Zelena had for him. And that was something Killian could not allow to happen.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that. It's too dangerous."

"I don't care what you think!" Henry exclaimed and turned back towards the car, grabbing onto the handle and yanking the door open. Apparently he had managed to unlock it after all.

"Well, you should", Killian said and closed the door again. Henry glared up at him, then frowned as he noticed that the man he saw as some friend of his mother's smiled.

"I've got a better way", Killian continued, then waved the boy along. As they walked it started to snow and, silently, the pirate hoped that the snow would slow Zelena down. They needed to make it to the docks and onto a ship before she figured out what he was doing.


	3. The Wolf & the Reader

_I intend to publish some short stories with the connected characters' meetings in the Enchanted Forest and then them reuniting in Storybrooke after the Curse is broken. There should be 8 of them that haven't been properly explained in the original story, so here they are :)_

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><p><strong>#3: The Wolf &amp; the Reader (Rating: K+)<strong>

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><p><em>Enchanted Forest<em>

_8 Months Prior_

Ella snapped her eyes open with a gasp. The world was swirling all around her, a mixture of colours and shapes that it took some time for her to make out and understand. She had been dreaming about the plane again; she had heard the pilots cry for help on the speakers, heard the screams around her as the plane dipped downwards. According to her provisional calendar – lines carved into an old tree trunk – it had happened just over four months ago and she still feared that she would wake up in that seat again, realize that this was just her imagination trying to buy her some time.

Slowly she got up on her knees and crawled out of her hiding place, a simple wind shed built out of branches and covered in fir. The two young sons on the nearby farm had helped her build it; their family had offered her a place to stay with them, but she had decided not to burden them more than she already did. Besides, what could she do to help them? She knew nothing of working in a farm and the more she stayed around people the more likely it was that they would notice her ability to wield magic.

She reached into the pocket of her long tunic, a helpful gift from the farmer's wife, and pulled out the roughly twelve inch long carved wooden stick. A wand. Her wand. It had helped her a lot out in the wild and, as a silent thank you to the farmers, she had also used its magic to secretly help them. As long as she stayed out of sight they probably did not realize that it was her who mended their roofs overnight and tracked down their missing cows. She felt like a secret superhero while doing it, which was also quite fun.

"Hello."

Ella jumped and spun around, quickly hiding her wand again. A woman, a bit older than her, had appeared behind the trees. She had pale skin, green eyes and dark, wavy hair, which was mostly hidden beneath the hood of her long, red cape. She also wore a long, red skirt and red gloves reaching up to her elbows.

"I'm sorry if I scared you", she quickly said. "I was just surprised to find anyone out here."

"No, that's fine", Ella quickly replied. "I was just lost in thought, that's all."

The woman nodded with a smile of her own and took a step closer.

"You... smell familiar", she eventually said. Ella's eyebrows shot up.

"I _smell_ familiar?"

"No, I meant look", the woman corrected. "Look familiar."

"I'm pretty sure you didn't", Ella said. "What's so familiar about my smell?"

"I... don't know", the woman responded. "I'm sorry, but how can you be so calm about me saying something like that?"

"I've seen my fair chair of oddities; another one can't hurt."

"Well, I might just be the oddest of oddities", the woman mused, "but there's something about your scent that's just... very familiar."

Ella looked around at the place that she had made her home and shrugged.

"Maybe fir needles?" she suggested. "They're everywhere here."

"No, it's something else", the woman said. "I can't quite put my finger on it, but it's... ah, never mind."

She took another step forward and held out her hand.

"I'm Red", she introduced herself.

"Ella", Ella responded and shook the hand. "How come you're here?"

"I went out on a midnight run", Red responded.

"A midnight run?" Ella asked with a frown. Red grinned.

"Told you I'm an oddity", she said. "To tell you the truth I'm a werewolf."

"Wait; Red, as in Red Riding Hood?"

"Pretty obvious, isn't it?" Red said, still grinning, and twirled around to show off her long cape.

"That's beautiful", Ella said.

"It allows me some control over my transformations", Red explained, "but now I mainly use it because it's sort of become my trademark. I can control myself when I'm a wolf as well."

She pulled it off and handed it to Ella.

"Here, try it. You seem a bit cold."

"And you don't get cold?" Ella guessed.

"Not this close to the full moon", Red answered as Ella pulled on the cape. It was warm and tinged with magic.

"It suits you", Red said.

"Thanks, but you probably need it more than me", Ella said and started to remove the object. Red, however, stopped her.

"Keep it on", she said. "I can pick it up in a couple of days, after this month's transformations are done."

"You transform more than once?" Ella asked.

"About five times per month, when the moon is at its fullest", Red responded. "Last night was the first this month."

"I've never seen a real werewolf transformation", Ella admitted. "Is it painful?"

"Not really", Red answered. "It happens really quickly. Want me to show you?"

"You can?"

"I can tonight."

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><p><em>Storybrooke, Maine<em>

_Present Time_

Ella was the first of the group to enter the diner, but it was already packed with people rejoining with their friends after the breaking of the Curse. She stood on her toes to try to spot Red in the crowd, but there were too many people around.

"Looking for me?"

The voice made her squeal and spin around.

"Jeez, Red, must you do that every time?" she berated. The waitress grinned.

"Of course; now that I remember how to scare you properly again, I'll make sure to do exactly that."

"I will jinx you next time you do that", Ella said and placed her hands on her hips. Red smiled and shook her head.

"You know, I don't mind", she said. "Your face when I scare you is worth it."

Ella tried to keep her angry face on, but before long she burst out laughing and hugged the other woman close.

"It's good to have you remember me again", she admitted.

"Any idea why the Curse didn't work properly on you?" Red asked. Ella shook her head.

"Not sure. But I'm going to find out."


	4. The Princess & the Warrior

**#4: The Princess & the Warrior (Rating: K+)**

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><p><em>Dark Palace, Enchanted Forest<em>

_6 months prior_

Inhale.

Aim.

Throw.

Exhale.

Inhale.

Aim.

Throw.

Exhale.

The throwing routine for daggers came as naturally to her as breathing nowadays. Dagger after dagger hit the targets hung around the sealed courtyard dedicated for this sort of training. She knew that one or several of their blade trainers was watching from the windows a floor up; the courtyard itself was empty except for her, to allow her to throw knives without being worried about hitting one of their allies.

She focused on the next target, raised her arm and threw the dagger. She imagined that it was one of the Witch's flying monkeys and smiled, pleased with herself, when it struck the bull's eye.

When she walked over to collect the daggers she had been training with she heard the door to the courtyard squeak.

"What did you think?" she called over her shoulder, expecting Prince Charming or Prince Thomas, Cinderella's husband, to answer her.

"It was great", came a female voice instead. "You're really good at that."

Filipi turned around in surprise to face her visitor. The woman was dressed in a pale blue dress and white coat to protect her against the chilly air. She had auburn hair pulled up in a bun on her head, adorned by an intricate crown made out of silver flowers. Her stomach was swollen, more so than Snow White's, indicating that she was pregnant with a child.

"I don't think we've met, Your Highness", Filipi said, adding the title in case this Princess or Queen wanted that to be done.

"Please, call me Aurora", the woman said. "Me and my husband only just arrived here and I saw you practicing through the windows. I'm sorry if I disturbed you."

"No", Filipi said, "no, that's quite alright. I'm Filipi."

"That's an odd name."

"It's a family name", Filipi explained with a smile, "and odd makes it easier to remember."

"True", Aurora said.

"So, why are you and your husband here?" Filipi asked as she placed the daggers in their assigned box by the wall.

"David and Snow invited us to the royal pregnancy announcement", Aurora answered. "We would have done the same to them, if they had arrived a little while earlier. Snow and I reckon that my child will be born about a month before hers."

"My congratulations", Filipi said. Aurora smiled slightly.

"Thank you."

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but you're not the one they call Sleeping Beauty, are you?"

"No, that was my mother", Aurora replied as they walked towards the door, "though Maleficent managed to get to me as well. My beloved Phillip woke me up shortly after the breaking of the Dark Curse."

"Aurora!"

They turned and looked down the corridor they had entered through the door. A man in silvery armour and brown hair came striding towards them.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your conversation, my ladies, but David and Snow White wants to see us both in the Queen's Office", he said as he came closer.

"Of course, Phillip", Aurora said. She then turned to Filipi.

"We can talk more later, right?"

"Of course", Filipi responded with a smile. "Just ask the guards where I am; they'll know."

"Wonderful", Aurora said. "You must teach me how to handle knives like that, Filipi; you were really good."

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><p><em>Storybrooke, Maine<em>

_Present Time_

"So where do you think Zelena kept the other monkeys?" Filipi asked as they exited the barn. Wolfgang looked around, eventually nodding at the small wooden shed closer to the house.

"Maybe in there", he said. "Did you feel anything when the spell broke on them?"

Filipi shook her head.

"Nothing. Not like back in the Enchanted Forest when I could feel her transforming them. Do you think it did not work?"

Wolfgang did not answer; instead he walked over to the shed in question and nodded at Filipi. She pulled out her wand and nodded.

Wolfgang yanked the door open, causing a scream from the inhabitants of the shed.

"Who's there?" came a male voice, along with the metallic sound of a sword being drawn.

"Prince Phillip?" Filipi asked. "Is that you?"

"Filipi?" came a female voice in response. Two figures stepped closer to the light streaming in through the door and Filipi gasped in relief.

"Oh thank God, you're both alright!" she said and rushed forward. Princess Aurora nodded through her tears and hugged her close.

"I'm so sorry", she whispered. "I'm so sorry."

"Hey, don't apologies for your doings as monkeys", Wolfgang pointed out from the door. "Zelena controlled you back then."

"But we should have told David and Snow about what _she_ wanted earlier", Aurora cried. "We just..."

"They understood why you didn't say anything about Zelena wanting a baby for the spell", Filipi assured her. "They've forgiven you, completely."

She looked down at Aurora's swollen stomach. She was about the same size as Mary Margaret and could probably give birth at any time.

"Can you walk the distance to town?" Filipi asked. "Otherwise we'll call for someone to pick you up."

"No, I should be fine", Aurora decided, waving away Phillip's attempt at convincing her to do the opposite. "Are you sure they won't be mad at us?"

"I don't think anyone can be mad at anyone today", Filipi said as they walked out of the shed. "Except maybe Zelena, considering she's been defeated and all."


	5. The Fairy & the Funny

**#5: The Fairy & the Funny (Rating: K)**

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><p><em>Dark Palace, Enchanted Forest<em>

_4 Months Prior_

Tessa yawned and blinked at the light coming from the windows. They had stayed up late the night before, following another possible clue regarding Ollivander. Which, like all other previous clues and hints, had lead to nowhere.

With a groan she turned over in bed and covered her head, hoping that she could go back to sleep again. Just ten more minutes, she thought, then she would be fine.

"Good morning!"

The cheery voice, which she supposed came from one of the servants in the castle, caused her to groan again.

"Go away", she muttered. "Sleep. Need to sleep."

Something tinkled, making her frown and slowly remove the cover from her head. The next moment she sat up with a startled squeal.

In front of her, above the bed, was a small human female with wings; a fairy. She had blonde hair tied up in a bun on her head and wore a bright green dress.

"Good morning", she said again, smiling widely.

"Do I know you?" Tessa asked.

"Maybe", the fairy replied.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Just that; maybe", the fairy said and landed on the bed. The next moment she was surrounded by a lime green shine, which expanded and grew, and suddenly the fairy was the size of a regular human. She shrugged and her wings disappeared.

"I'm Tinker Bell", she said and held out her hand towards her, "though most people call me Tink."

"Seriously?" Tessa replied. "You're actually Tinker Bell?"

"Yeah."

"Why do you sound Australian?" Tessa asked. Tinker Bell cocked her head to the side.

"What's Australian?"

"It's a nationality", Tessa explained. "My nationality. Your accent sounds like mine."

"So if I was human I'd be an Australian?" Tinker Bell asked.

"People would think you were at least", Tessa said. "What are you doing in my bedroom?"

"Waking you up", Tinker Bell replied with a wide smile, "because you seemed really nice when I saw you yesterday. I really want to be your friend."

"A fairy wants to be friends with me?" Tessa said with a frown. "This has got to be a dream."

"Also, I'm going to let you in on a little secret", Tinker Bell said and leaned forward. "The Blue Fairy, the boss of all the fairies, she thinks you've got some fairy blood in you. Not much, but a little."

"What? Why? How?"

"I don't know", Tinker Bell replied, "but I have a feeling we'll find out soon."

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><p><em>Storybrooke, Maine<em>

_Present Time_

"Tink!" Tessa called as she rushed towards the monastery. "Tink!"

The nuns, or fairies, scattered around her as she ran. Some simply shook their heads, some muttered things about it not being customary for a human to scream a fairy's name like that. Tessa ignored them all and ran up the stairs to the chapel.

"Tessa!" came the shout just as she was about to open the big double doors. She immediately spun around and managed to trip over her own feet, sending her stumbling forwards until she managed to brace herself on a bench. The next thing she heard was Tinker Bell bursting out laughing.

"I'm alright, thanks for asking", Tessa said as she straightened up.

"Sorry", Tinker Bell said and came up to her. "I should have recognized you sooner, Tessa."

"We were cursed and had no memories of meeting; not exactly easy to recognize someone then."

"But I recognized you back then as well", Tinker Bell protested. "I knew who you were; you're the girl I brought to Hog's Castle before I went to Neverland."

"So you know about the prophecy?" Tessa asked.

"Yeah, but since it's Ollivander's prophecy, Blue does not want to talk about it", Tinker Bell responded, "but now that the Curse is broken and she knows you all originally came from the Enchanted Forest, she has agreed to look into your parentage. We should be able to find whatever fairy that turned human and caused you to have fairy blood."

"Quick question; shouldn't fairy blood make me a bit more..."

She was interrupted by a crash coming from the garden.

"Sorry!" came a female voice. "I didn't see the rock."

"Nova", someone else groaned, "now we have to clean all of this, _again_."

"Graceful", Tessa finished off. "Maybe not."

Tinker Bell giggled.

"Maybe not."


	6. INTRO: Carmen

**Hello everyone! I'm now going to start posting the introductory chapters of the characters that will be introduced in _Cold Heart_. I won't post all of them at once, but one or two here and there while also posting missing scenes and stuff :) Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>New Character #1: Carmen<strong>

The sky above New York was as clear of clouds as it could be in a big city. A perfect day for walking around doing some shopping with friends, Carmen thought, as well as having some proper girl-talk. Even if she, Heather and Jennifer were all in the same school and sometimes had joint classes they never seemed to have time to talk about stuff other than studies. They needed a break from that and today was that day.

The three of them had met up outside of Heather's apartment complex in Manhattan. Her parents, both of them wealthy British researchers, had made sure she stayed in the "right neighbourhood" upon moving to New York. Carmen did feel a bit jealous about not being able to do the right thing; she lived in a small dorm room an hour away from campus and still struggled with her rent, while Heather had two rooms and a kitchen all to herself. The only positive thing about the dorms was that Jennifer lived there as well; she came from Australia and had befriended Carmen during their first lecture, after which they had been inseparable. Heather often lamented that she was the third wheel in the group, but it never seemed to bother her too much.

They started early and went to all of their favourite stores, both looking at fancy clothes that were far too expensive for university students and buying new, cheaper alternatives.

While they were waiting in line to pay for their purchases at an _H&M_ store on Broadway, Carmen's most dreaded subject was brought up; her boyfriend, Jeremy.

"I haven't seen him around for a while", Heather said. "Are you two alright?"

"Yeah, sure", Carmen replied. Heather raised an eyebrow at her, prompting her to elaborate.

"He's away doing research in Vancouver. We're fine, though. I mean, we text each other every day and try to Skype when we're both free."

"You sure?" Heather asked and accepted her bagged purchase from the shop assistant. "Because you two seemed to be drifting apart even before he went on this trip."

Carmen avoided the red-haired Brit's gaze as she paid for her purchase.

"He's just a busy guy", she said. "It'll be better once this semester's done for him."

"You said that last semester as well", Jennifer pointed out. She rarely criticized Jeremy, unlike Heather, which made Carmen even more nervous about her boyfriend's whereabouts. Jeremy was, in her parents' eyes, the perfect boyfriend; well-mannered, educated and once he was done with his studies he would be able to get a job that provided a lot of money for a future family. Carmen had fallen desperately in love with him the moment they met, when she had visited the university she now attended about a year and a half ago and he had showed them around. He had taken an interest in her as well, so they had exchanged e-mails and phone numbers. They had moved quickly from being "just friends" to "boyfriend and girlfriend" – a little too quickly in the eyes of some people. Carmen could not have cared any less; after all, she was dating the most perfect guy in the universe.

It was not until she had started attending university herself that things had become a bit more difficult. The long-distance relationship had worked much better for them than this, because now people expected them to meet up as often as possible. However their schedules never seemed to allow more than a quick coffee two or three times per week and now that Jeremy was off working on a research project in his old hometown, the whispered rumours about them drifting apart had started to get to Carmen.

"We're fine", she now insisted as they headed out of the store. Heather sighed loudly, but did not continue the discussion.

"We should get some coffee", Jennifer said, breaking the ice. "Anyone know where we should go?"

Carmen looked around and was about to suggest the nearest Starbucks when she spotted a flyer on a nearby wall.

_Time for a coffee break?_

_Head over to the Enchanted Forest_

_for the most magical cup of coffee_

_you've ever had_

_89 Wooster Street, New York_

"Guys, what about this place?" Carmen asked and plucked the flyer from the wall. "It's just a couple of blocks away, shouldn't take more than five minutes to walk."

"Sounds great", Heather said. "I hope they have tea as well."

"What café doesn't have tea?" Jennifer asked.

"Starbucks' tea is dreadful", Heather muttered, causing the other two to laugh as they started to walk in the direction of Wooster Street.


	7. INTRO: Chad, Amber, Sarah

**New Character #2-4: Chad, Amber, Sarah**

"Come on, Sarah! We're going to be late!"

Sarah opened the door to her hotel room at the sound of her brother's voice. Chad, four years her age, lowered his hand, which he had earlier used to knock.

"I still don't see why I have to come with you to this", she sighed as she stepped out into the corridor. "It's a law-student-thing."

"It's going to be fun", Amber, Chad's fiancée, said with a smile in her British accented voice. "You'll enjoy it, I promise."

Sarah rolled her eyes, but still followed them to the elevator, all the while trying to straighten her shirt, which had become crumpled while she had lied on the bed re-reading her favourite book. How could she fit in at an event for law students with a crumpled shirt, jeans and a jumper that most would argue was too big for her? She looked nothing like Chad and Amber. Sure, they were not dressed up as if they were going to the world's fanciest dinner-party, but their clothes were sensible and their hairs weren't in a mess. Chad's dark-brown, the same colour as Sarah's, was combed backwards and his beard was trimmed so that he only sported a stylish stubble. Amber's golden blonde curls were pulled back in a pony tail, leaving only a few strands out to frame her face without making the hairstyle look dishevelled. Their shoes were polished and there were no wrinkles on their clothes. No one would look at them and think that they did not belong in a society of well-spoken people with big pay-checks. If Sarah was to earn the same amount of money she could only wish that she, one day, got a position as a professor in literature at a well-known university.

They stepped out into the street outside their hotel, located on Manhattan in New York. They took the subway to NYU near Washington Square Park where the lunch would be held. Representatives from all law schools in the US were to attend it, all of them chosen based on their high grades. Chad and Amber were representatives from the University of Chicago, even though they were not currently studying; both of them had taken a year's leave to focus on their personal lives. Sarah suspected that they were planning their wedding, which of course was meant to be something spectacular, but during their last joint visit home she had found a negative pregnancy test in the bathroom. Figuring out that it belonged to Amber was not exactly a hard thing to do.

"Sarah!" Chad called back, waking her from her daydreams. "Keep up, we don't want to lose you when we head inside!"

* * *

><p>Two hours later Sarah let out a silent relieved breath when exiting the NYU building. Just as expected people had swarmed around Chad and Amber but barely glanced at her, unless Chad or Amber introduced her to someone important. She guessed that was their way of trying to include her in what the lawyers were discussing.<p>

"Anyone else feeling a bit hungry?" Amber asked when they aimed towards the subway. "I'd hoped for a better lunch than that."

Sarah smiled slightly and wondered if that could even be called a lunch; there had just been waiters carrying trays of miniature sandwiches walking around the room. How anyone could feel filled up after that was a mystery. Chad seemed to think the same and wrapped his arm around Amber's waist.

"Let's take a walk and see what we find", he suggested.

They steered away from the subway entrance and walked down the closest street. Sarah glanced up at the street sign when they entered it. Wooster Street. For some reason a chill ran down her spine when she read that, but she blamed that on the air.

They stopped in front of several cafés and small restaurants present on the street, but none of them seemed that appealing. They were either too small, too smoky or just not quite perfect for the future lawyers. Sarah felt her stomach growling and decided that she would refuse to leave the entrance of the next food-place they found.

"Look at this!" Amber suddenly called. She had walked ahead of them when Chad had stopped to look at some old books in a stand. She now stood in front of what seemed to be an ordinary apartment complex, but outside the door hung a beautifully painted sign with leaves, fruits and animals, and a bunch of different fairytale allusions.

"_The Enchanted Forest Café_", Sarah read when she came up to the blonde. "_Two floors up_."

They looked up as if trying to identify the windows holding the café, but from the ground this was impossible.

"Well", Chad said, "I think I'm too hungry to continue searching. Let's go have a look."


	8. INTRO: Jenna, Nathan

**New Character #5-6: Jenna, Nathan**

"Nathan!"

Jenna banged on the door belonging to her half-brother using her fists. It was close to noon already and he had an interview to go to in two hours, but of course he had stayed up last night partying with some friends and was now most likely very hungover.

"Nathan!" she shouted again. "Nathan, get your ass out of bed right now! You have..."

The door opened so suddenly that she nearly hit the Latino-looking guy who had opened it in the face.

"Hi", he said with a lopsided grin. Jenna blinked, then groaned in realization.

"Nathan", she called past the unknown guy, "up, now!"

Her brother showed up behind the Latino guy with a wide grin on his face.

"Hey, sis", he said, "meet Tony."

Jenna glared at him.

"Say goodbye and go take a shower", she ordered.

"Can't I do it the other way round?" Nathan asked, still grinning. Jenna just kept glaring at him until he shrugged.

"Fine. Tony, it seems my sister is intent on pulling us apart and parting is such sweet sorrow."

Tony chuckled. He seemed just as carefree as Nathan, one who did not care if a steamy night ended with a simple goodbye with no promises of ever meeting again. Jenna could not understand how anyone could act like that and she was constantly worried that her brother would eventually meet someone he really liked but have his heart broken because of his reckless behaviour.

Tony was whistling while he got dressed. Jenna knew that it was him because Nathan could not whistle. That was one of the few things she felt she had learned about him during the two years they had lived together. Before that she had not even known that he existed.

The two of them shared a father. Jenna had never met him because he had left her mother not long after she had become pregnant with Jenna. Her mother had never liked to talk about him and Jenna had not even bothered to learn his name. Then, about two years ago, right after she had started studying ancient history full-time, she got a message from a woman in England. She revealed that she was the woman whom Jenna's father had met when he left. He had then left her as well shortly after she became pregnant with Nathan. At this point Nathan was an amateur model in Britain, but sought to make a career in the US. His mother had somehow tracked down Jenna and asked her for help, and Jenna had decided to let her newfound brother stay with her in her new apartment in New York until he found his own place.

This arrangement was still there two years later and while Jenna poured herself a cup of coffee she wondered if Nathan was even trying to find somewhere else to live. He did the occasional modelling job and they had apparently started to pay off, since he now paid a bigger part of the rent, which Jenna had not even suggested. Most of the time she did not mind him staying with her, mind, but at times like these, when he acted irresponsibly, she could not wait to have the apartment to herself again.

Tony called a cheerful goodbye to her before he left and she heard how the water in the shower started running, meaning Nathan would soon be out in more clothes than just a pair of boxer shorts. He was never one to linger in the shower, unlike Jenna who could hardly get enough of it.

A few minutes later he came out into the kitchen, combing his still wet, dark-blonde hair back out of his face. The hair-colour was one of the few things they shared.

"Well", he said, pouring himself a cup of coffee and leaning against the sink, "that was an eventful night."

"I don't want details", Jenna sharply pointed out from where she sat by the table, causing Nathan to grin.

"Sis, don't worry about me. I've managed on my own for years; I know how to handle an interview."

Jenna sighed. That was true; Nathan had impressed everyone during his past interviews and the only reason he had not been offered a job was that, prior to this, he had only modelled. At the moment that did not seem to matter much, though, since local modelling agencies had started to notice him.

"So who's Tony?" Jenna asked. Nathan laughed.

"You're asking me about the people I sleep with now?" he asked. "Jealous?"

"You know what I mean."

Nathan shrugged, still grinning, and placed his now empty cup in the sink.

"A guy I met last night on Broadway."

"What were you..."

"I like musicals", Nathan replied before she had finished her question. "Isn't that what gays are supposed to like?"

The bitterness in his voice startled her. Nathan was openly bisexual, but seemed more drawn to men than women, and ever since she met him he had seemed so confident and secure in his sexuality. She was ashamed to admit that she had never even considered how he had been treated by others when growing up.

"I just didn't know you did", she said and looked away. "I love musicals, but I never thought to ask you if you did, or if you might want to go watch one together one day. I'm sorry."

There was a moment of silence before Nathan sighed.

"I didn't mean to say..." he begun, then paused and cleared his throat. "Look, Jenna, I know that we haven't had an easy time together these two years and I feel like I hardly know you. My own sister and you're a stranger to me, and, I suspect, vice versa."

Jenna looked up at him and saw the kind, caring smile that he rarely dared to use in public. He often showed it when he was talking to his mother back in Britain and, occasionally, with her. It was one that made it possible to look past the cocky, confident model and see who her real brother was.

"How about", he said, "after my interview today, we spend some time together? I walked past a brand new café yesterday that I think you'll love."

"How do you know that?" Jenna asked with a small smile. Nathan smiled back.

"Because among all your history books you also have a lot of fairytale books in here", he said, "and this place has a fairytale theme. _The Enchanted Forest_."


	9. The Thief & the Young

**#6: The Thief & the Young (Rating: T)**

* * *

><p><em>Dark Palace, Enchanted Forest<em>

_11 Months Prior_

"Yes!"

Jade threw her fist up in the air in a victorious gesture as she saw the arrow getting stuck in the centre of the target board.

"Again?" Catriona sighed to her right. "How do you do that?"

"You are not that far off, Catriona."

The accented voice caused them both to turn around and blush as their teacher in archery, the legendary Robin Hood, gave them a lopsided grin.

"What you need to do is adjust your aim more accordingly to the wind", Robin continued and walked up to the blonde.

"I am doing that", Catriona protested. "I calculate..."

Robin raised a finger to silence her.

"Jade", he then said and turned, "tell me how you hit the centre of the target? I believe this is your fourth hit today."

"I... er... well, I don't calculate things like Catriona does", Jade replied, "so I'm guessing it's just luck?"

"Quite the opposite", Robin said and grabbed his own bow, notching an arrow to its string. "What you do..."

His arrow soared through the sky and lodged itself in the centre of the target, going in at least three inches.

"Is what I do", he continued. "An archer does not have time for calculations, Catriona, no matter how accurate those calculations would be, because..."

"They take some of my focus away from the archery", Catriona said, catching on. "This is going to be tough; I love math."

Robin smiled in amusement.

"I think you two have had enough practice for today", he then said. "We'll pick it up again tomorrow."

While Catriona nodded and left for the castle, joining another group of friends heading in the same direction, Jade lingered behind.

"Robin?" she asked.

"Yes?" the archer said as he removed the arrows from the targets with little to no difficulty.

"How come I can do that and Catriona can't?" Jade asked. "Hit the centre, I mean. I don't really calculate things; I barely even notice the wind and such things. Shouldn't Cat be able to hit more bull's eyes than me because she does that?"

Robin turned around, the collected arrows in one hand and his bow in the other.

"You have a talent for it", he simply replied as he walked back from the targets.

"And that's all it takes?" Jade asked. "A talent?"

"Talent", Robin said, "and devotion. You seem to enjoy this."

"I do", Jade admitted. "I've never even considered archery before, but this is fun. And having a legend as a teacher isn't that bad."

"I'm not that much of a legend", Robin chuckled. "I'm an outlaw who just happened to be in the right place at the right time, but I don't doubt that the Queen wants to see me gone as soon as possible."

"Really?" Jade said as they walked back to the castle together. "She seems to, I don't know, kind of like you."

Robin raised an eyebrow at her in utter confusion.

"_Like_ me?"

"I don't know, forget I even said that."

Robin shook his head at her.

"You remind me of someone", he admitted.

"Who?"

Robin did not respond; instead he gave her an almost pained glance before turning to look ahead towards the dark castle. Jade decided to ask him about that later.

* * *

><p><em>Storybrooke, Maine<em>

_Present Time_

Her arrow flew from the bowstring and landed way off target. Jade opened her mouth to blame her failure on the gush of magic that had pulsed through the clearing in the very moment she had released the arrow, but stopped when she saw that Robin was staring at her.

"Oh my God", she managed to say when she realized why he was doing that, only to be enveloped in a tight embraced a moment later.

"Don't you ever do that again", he berated her once he pulled back. Jade frowned in confusion.

"Do what exactly?"

"Something dangerous."

Jade blinked.

"Look, Robin, I can try staying out of danger, but that might work for, what, two seconds?" she said. Robin studied her for a moment before his face broke up in a wide grin.

"I should probably not expect anything else from you, young one", he commented with a slight chuckle. Jade rolled her eyes at him.

"Well", she said, "since you gave me some advice, I think it's my turn to give you some. Why are you still here?"

Robin frowned.

"What?"  
>"You should be running towards Regina by now and tell her you still love her despite your history", Jade dramatically replied. Robin blinked, before he ran his hand through his hair.<p>

"You think she'd want me to do that?"

"Robin", Jade said and crossed her arms over her chest, "the longer you wait to see her the more frightened she'll be that you'll leave her now that you remember the past year. Are you?"

"No", Robin replied and shook his head. "No, I wouldn't leave her. I love her."

He froze as he uttered those words, causing Jade to grin widely.

"Told you", she said and hit him on the arm.

"Don't tell anyone else", he ordered her as they started to walk back from their practice area towards town.

"Oh, no need", Jade replied. "I think pretty much the whole town already knows."

Robin groaned, causing her to laugh and run ahead towards the docks.


	10. Don't Fail the Next One

**#7: Don't Fail the Next One (Rating: T)**

_Charming's nightmare from episode 3x14, so set right before Charming and Rachel start to hang out (AUJ chapter 9)._

* * *

><p><em>9 months prior,<em>

_Dark Palace, Enchanted Forest_

The obsidian halls of the Dark Palace flashed before his eyes as he ran. He emerged close to the balcony overseeing the main gateway. It was light out. The castle should be bustling with life by now, but so far he had not encountered a single living soul. He should know why; deep inside he should know exactly why, yet he did not come up with the right answer no matter how hard he tried to.

A sound to his right caused him to turn and suddenly the long, black corridor was replaced with a wooden door. Behind the door he could hear the silent cries from a baby. He studied the object; it seemed misplaced, yet familiar. He could not remember seeing this door anywhere in the Dark Palace before, but he had seen it somewhere.

He pushed the handle down and opened the door, stepping into a nursery. He halted in surprise. This was not a room in the Dark Palace; this was Emma's nursery, the one he and Snow had prepared for her before the casting of the Dark Curse. He closed the door behind him as he walked inside, staring at all the familiar objects. The white crib with the glass unicorn mobile above it. The red curtains framing the tall windows. The toys waiting to be used by the expected child; dolls, wooden swords, balls and teddy bears. And there, in the corner of the room, stood the magical wardrobe in which he had placed Emma to send her away from the Dark Curse.

"This is impossible", he told himself as he walked further inside the room. Snow had told him that their old castle had been destroyed when the Dark Curse passed through it. That was why they had opted for staying here, in the Dark Palace, now that Regina was on their side. He reached the crib and frowned at the glass mobile. It had survived the journey to Storybrooke and had been hanging in Gold's pawnshop during their time there. Neither he nor Snow had thought to ask for it once they had regained their memories of their past selves. He shook his head again.

"This is all wrong", he muttered.

"You're right."

He spun around and froze. Opposite him stood a familiar blonde, her hair donned up in a bun on her head and her familiar leather jackets and boots replaced by a pale blue dress adorned with feathers and white gems. She smiled at his surprise.

"A full-grown princess still living in her nursery?" she mused. "I don't even have a proper vanity."

"Emma", he said and took a step towards her, trying to figure out what was going on, "what are you doing here?"

She smiled nervously and walked up to him.

"I was looking for a place to practice. I'm a little nervous about tonight."

He felt his frown deepen.

"Tonight?" he asked. "What's tonight?"

Emma raised a surprised eyebrow.

"The ball", she replied. "You know I've never been to one before."

She held out her hands towards him and he took them, letting her pull him away from the crib.

"I don't even know how to dance", she continued with a wide smile, before she spun around in front of him. "Teach me."

He stared at her as she raised her right hand, inviting him to mirror her movement and dance the traditional waltz with her. After a moment's hesitation he took it and their dance begun, him leading and she following gracefully, smiling happily. It made him smile as well.

"You're a natural", he commented, "just like your mother."

Emma chuckled.

"And you are the best teacher a daughter could hope for."

He smiled widely and scooped her up in his arms, spinning them both around.

"Oh Emma", he said, "this is everything I ever hoped for you."

"Me too", she replied, the smile vanishing from her face. "It's a shame I never got it."

He put her down with a frown while continuing their dance.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not really here", Emma replied. "I was never here. I should be, but I'm not. All for one reason..."

She released his hands and stepped back.

"You failed me."

In an instant the room changed, the sunlight shining in through the windows was replaced by a dark thunderstorm, the ground shook and Emma's appearance suddenly looked dishevelled. He inhaled sharply in shock as a strong wind started to blow through the room, causing the glass mobile to spin around above the crib. The doors of the magical wardrobe burst open behind Emma's back and sucked her towards the portal hidden inside. She reached out and grabbed his arm and he immediately grabbed on to her, trying to pull her back to safety. She did not make another move to save herself, causing his eyes to widen.

"Goodbye, daddy!" she called over the wind.

"Emma!" he called back. "Emma, I'm sorry! I'll save you!"

"No!" she called. "You can't save me; you failed me! There's nothing you can do!"

The pull from the portal increased and he struggled to keep her away from it.

"No, Emma!" he shouted as he felt her hand slip from his grip. She suddenly looked him deep in the eye and let out a silent whisper, which was somehow heard above the wind just as clear as their previous shouting.

"Don't fail the next one."

* * *

><p>David sat up with a gasp, blinking and trying to focus on his surroundings. He was in the bedroom that he shared with Snow in the Dark Palace. It had all just been a dream. As he looked around he saw that Snow was already up, standing by the glass doors leading out onto their balcony with a wide smile on her face.<p>

"Well, look who's awake", she said as she saw him, then gestured towards the glass in front of her. "Come look at this view, Charming. I'd forgotten how beautiful it was here."

He smiled in amusement as he got out of bed and put on a velvet robe.

"Someone's in a good mode", he commented. Snow chuckled and smiled even wider as he walked up to her.

"I am", she admitted. "I have some... pretty wonderful news."

He nodded, indicating for her to continue. Her smile seemed to widen even more before she spoke again.

"We're pregnant."

David blinked in surprise.

"You are?" he asked. Snow's smile vanished in an instant.

"Are you not happy?" she asked.

"No", he replied and took her hands in his, pulling her closer. "No, I'm not."

He then managed to smile at her.

"I'm thrilled."

Snow blinked, before she smiled wider than ever before that morning and wrapped her arms around him. When she could no longer see his face David allowed his smile to falter. Emma's last words in his dream still echoed through his head.

"_Don't fail the next one_."


	11. INTRO: Victor

**New Character #7: Victor**

The air was different.

That was the first thing Victor had noticed when exiting Newark airport. Compared to the air he was used to breathing back home in Bergen the air in New York was dense and almost chewable, yet still so alive.

He had saved money for this trip for so long now. A month in New York, far away from a father who demanded he figured out what to do with his life, a mother who demanded he find a girlfriend and settle down (her argument always being that when she was 24 she had been dating his father for three years) and an ex-girlfriend who seemed to think she was the woman his mother wanted him to spend the rest of his life with. Here, in New York, he felt freer than he had felt in a long, long time.

He took the metro from his hotel to Times Square, mingling with the native New Yorkers and tourists alike. Every now and then he felt someone stare at him and he fought back an embarrassed blush, along with the thought that maybe he should have put on a cap. His pale-blonde hair, which bordered on white, was something that made people look at him also back home, especially since both of his parents were darker in their complexion. At least here people only stared because of his strange hair-colour, not because of vicious rumours about possible love-affairs.

"Buy your souvenirs here!" people along the street called. "Gifts for your whole family!"

Victor ignored them. Souvenirs could wait; he was more interested in finding a quiet place to read the newspapers he had brought with him. Newspapers that contained a ton of work ads.

That was his plan with this trip; find a job here in New York. That way his father would think he had made up his mind about his future, his ex would find it harder to pester him and his mother might think he had met some American girl. Of course, she would be the hardest one to convince of that.

Eventually he headed back down to the metro and considered which line he should take. He had arrived by Line 2 and he could, of course, continue further south by that one, but something drew him towards the two yellow lines, N and R. They could also bring him south, but by a different route than Line 2.

Soon he stepped onto a train running along Line R, southbound. He was surprised to find a place to sit and took the opportunity to pull out the first of his many newspapers from his backpack. As he flipped the pages to get to the adds his eyes caught sight of a small square ad decorated with pale green leaves.

_Time for a coffee break?_

_Head over to the Enchanted Forest_

_for the most magical cup of coffee_

_you've ever had_

_89 Wooster Street, New York_

He frowned at the ad and tried to figure out why he found it so interesting, before he settled for the fact that it was a café where he might be able to find some peace and quiet, along with that magical cup of coffee that was mentioned in the ad. Hopefully something a bit stronger than what his hotel had served.

He put the paper back in his bag and instead took out a map of the subway lines of New York. Surprisingly his current train had a stop close to the mentioned address in the ad. Three stops ahead by now.

As he stepped off the metro on Prince Street and headed up from the underground he found himself smiling widely. Maybe this was when his luck turned around.


	12. INTRO: Brandon

**New Character #8: Brandon**

Brandon always felt highly satisfied after a meeting like this. He and his colleagues from London had just secured another deal with a bank on Manhattan that all parts seemed pleased with, even though Brandon estimated that his bank would benefit a bit more from it than this small New York bank would.

"Well done in there, Brandon", James Richards, the head of his department, said as they walked out from the bank. Brandon felt himself grow at least an inch taller from the praise, but kept a humble face. His two co-workers, Catherine and Liam, were already quite annoyed with him always keeping a step ahead of them. They probably saw him has someone who sucked up to the bosses, but in his eyes he was simply keeping his eyes on the target; a promotion. He wanted to be the youngest board-member his bank had ever had and that meant working hard and staying focused, constantly.

"I just did what anyone would have done", he therefore said to Mr Richards. The broad-shouldered man with greying hair barked out a laugh.

"Nonsense, Brandon; that was talent! You have a talent for this."

He grinned, then quickly took out his buzzing phone.

"It's the office", he said. "I'll call you later; we have much to discuss. Hello?"

He walked off towards a waiting taxi cab while enigmatically describing to the office back in London how the deal had been secured. Brandon was pleased to hear his name mentioned at least twice before the door of the yellow car closed.

"Can I give you a ride, Sir?" another cab-driver asked. Brandon hesitated; he could head back to the hotel and spend the remainder of the day there, of course, but this was New York; he had been so focused on this deal that he had not had time to walk around for a bit.

"I'm fine", he therefore told the driver. "Two of my colleagues will be out soon, though; a brunette in a blue skirt and a ginger man. Ask them."

"Will do, Sir", the man replied and tipped his hat. "Where are you heading?"

"Oh, I don't know just yet", Brandon replied, gazing up the road. "I'll take the subway some place, I guess, and find some place that serves good tea."

"Here's a tip", the driver said. "There's a newly opened café not far from here that's got some incredible service. It's run by a group of exchange students and the prices are very reasonable. I don't drink much tea myself, mind, so I can't say how that tastes, but I think it'll be better than what those chain coffee shops serve."

Brandon chuckled; he had been avoiding everything that was even remotely like Starbucks ever since he got there for that specific reason.

"Well, I could always check it out and get back to you on that", he said. "Where is it?"

"You walk down this road", the driver said, pointing in the opposite direction that Brandon had been looking in, "cross Prince Street and then turn right onto Spring Street. Follow that road until you see a sign for a street called Wooster Street. The café's right up in the corner of that crossroad, so you can't miss it."

Brandon looked in the direction he was meant to be walking, considered it for a moment and then nodded.

"Alright, I'll check it out. Thanks for the tip."

"Anytime, mate", the driver said, lifting his hat and showing off his strawberry blonde hair. Brandon shook his head at the pleasantries before he walked in the direction the driver had pointed out for him.

The sky above his head was clear that day, but that also meant that the air was cold. Clouds escaped from his mouth and nose as he walked, something that he had always enjoyed seeing. Winter had always been his preferred season of the year and as a kid his father had taken him skiing in the Alps. He missed those adventures, but having adventures at this time would be very untimely; from Mr Richards' words he believed he would get a promotion later this week, possibly even today.

He shoved his hands into the pockets of his coat as he walked and berated himself for forgetting his gloves at the hotel. Maybe it had been better to take the cab to this place.

Then he saw it; the sign hanging outside what seemed to be an ordinary apartment building. He did not know how but he knew that it was the café's sign, a thought that got confirmed as he got closer and read the text.

_The Enchanted Forest Café_

_Two floors up_

He looked up the side of the white building, wondering if this really was a good idea, before his curiosity got the better of him and he pushed the black door open. Inside he found a regular set of buzzer buttons outside an iron gate. He pressed the one marked with _EF Café_ and heard the mechanical click in the gate when it was unlocked. On the way up he could smell the tea being served and felt himself smile. This place did indeed serve good tea.


	13. INTRO: Vera

**New Character #9: Vera**

"Oh come on, Vera! Just try it."

Vera sighed and looked up from tying her shoe. Her roommate and best friend, Alice, was sitting cross-legged on her bed with a bowl of chocolate pudding in front of her. She had scooped up some of it on a spoon and was holding it out towards Vera.

"It's delicious! Divine! The best thing you've ever tasted!"

The blonde was used to giving convincing speeches, but they did not work on Vera. She was far too used to them.

"I'm fine, Alice", she said and straightened up. "I might try some later, but now I need to head out."

"Fine", Alice sighed and flopped back on the bed, causing Vera to suspiciously eye the bowl of pudding in case it decided to tip over. This time it did not.

"I'll be back in an hour or so", Vera said and tied her dark-brown hair back in a braid. "You can plan what we shall do today while I'm out."

"I'll get you to eat some of this", Alice said, waving the now empty spoon. "That's my plan."

Vera rolled her eyes before she stepped out of the room. She headed out of the hotel and shuffled through her playlist to find a good set of tunes to listen to while she ran. When she and Alice had booked this trip to New York she had been adamant that their hotel should be close to a park so that she would have somewhere to exercise outdoors, even though it was just March and still quite chilly out. That never stopped her, though; she knew that she needed the exercise to keep herself in good shape. She was not like Alice, who could eat a bowl of chocolate pudding for breakfast and stay in bed all day yet not gain a pound.

She crossed Forsyth Street and entered the Sara D. Roosevelt Park, where she started jogging. It was her favourite type of exercise since all she needed to bring with her was a pair of good shoes and comfortable clothes. Gyms were not something she liked to visit; the machines in there seemed far too complex and strange for her taste. And she could not quite understand why they were all facing these giant mirrors; she, for one, definitely did not want to watch herself as she ran.

Small raindrops started to hit her in the face when her third track had started playing. This type of rain was nothing compared to the weather she sometimes experienced back home, outside of Glasgow. This might not even be considered rain by some of her relatives. Alice would find it uncomfortable, though; she was not Scottish by birth but had moved to Glasgow ten years ago, with her family. She and Vera had attended the same school, in different grades, but they still had some common classes and soon bonded. Alice had supported her through her weight struggle, despite not quite understanding it, and Vera had supported her in her fight for animal rights in Britain. They had complimented each other, in a way.

She turned the corner of the park's far north corner and ran back south on the other side of the park. The wind was now hitting her in the back, which meant she did not have to squint her eyes in order to see where she was running. However, she had made it her goal to run this track at least twice before deciding to head back to the hotel, which meant she would have to run squinting soon again. A couple of years ago she would have decided to quit right away, but she had grown tougher than that by now.

"What the..."

She pulled to a sudden halt as a flyer flew right into her face the moment she turned back north. Grumbling about how people should learn to throw these things away or keep them safe from the wind she stomped over to the nearest trashcan and was about to throw it away when something about the flyer caught her eye. She unfolded it again and looked at it; a pale yellow piece of paper decorated with leaves, flowers and animals that surrounded a simple ad text.

_The most magical lunch_

_you've ever had!_

_Head over to the Enchanted Forest,_

_the newest café on Manhattan_

_for a large selection of lunch dishes!_

_89 Wooster Street, New York_

Vera studied the flyer intently before neatly folding it and putting it in the small chest pocket on her jacket. It sounded interesting, but she did not have time for lunch just yet. She still had another lap to run before she could even start thinking about breakfast, let alone some sort of lunch.

Just then her phone buzzed. It was a text from Alice.

_How about brunch somewhere?_

Vera hesitated before she typed an answer.

_Sure. I know a good place. One lap to go. See you soon._

* * *

><p><strong>As you might have noticed I'm trying to finish these introductions at the moment ;) Might finish one more before I go to bed tonight.<strong>


	14. INTRO: Laura, Blaire

**New Character #10-11: Laura, Blaire**

This was not the first time that Laura had seated herself on a train from Boston to New York in an effort to bring her sister, Blaire, with her back home. And thus it was definitely not the first time that she had had to call the library where she worked and tell them that she had to take the day off. Her boss was not happy about any of this, that was for sure, but so far she had allowed Laura to stay on due to her knowledge of the place. If a person came in looking for a rarely borrowed book Laura was the best person to ask about it. However, Laura was not sure how long that excuse would be valid.

"Next stop, New York Pennsylvania Station."

Laura sighed and got out of her seat, pushing a few strands of her short hair away from her eyes as she stepped out onto the platform. Her sister was known for her escapes to the Big Apple and had been conducting these ever since her teens. The girls' mother had soon grown tired of having to pull her back to Boston twice per month while also explaining the rebellious blonde's absence to her school. She had even gone as far as throwing Blaire out of the house when she was seventeen. Laura could still remember the shouting that ended in Blaire leaving Boston for a week. Then, one night, she had appeared with a tear-streaked face outside Laura's apartment door and Laura had let her in, giving her a new home on the condition that Blaire finish school and not run away anymore.

Blaire had managed it and graduated a year later. Not with top grades, but grades none the less. She had been beyond excited about it, as well as having found a place of her own and a job at a local restaurant. Everything seemed to be going well until Blaire's boss called Laura about her missing sister. Apparently this was not the first time she had missed a shift and Laura, worried that her sister might just be afraid to quit a job she did not like, had called the landlord of Blaire's apartment, only to hear that Blaire was an 'exceptional tenant' who was never late with her bills. And that had made Laura think of Blaire's past escapes to New York and caused her to head down there.

She had found Blaire in a studio, posing in front of a camera.

She was heading to that same studio now. It was where Blaire had been every time since that first discovery after her graduation. Laura had hoped that it was just a passing thing, but evidently that had not been the case. Blaire ignored any stabile job she was offered or hired for back in Boston and instead prioritized this thing that would not last many more years. After all, models were considered old when they were 25 or something like that, at least according to what Laura had heard.

Laura took the metro from Herald Square to Prince Street and walked the short way from the station to the small studio in the light rain falling from the grey sky. On the way up she could hear the photographer shouting out instructions.

"Chin down! Lean back! Good! Good! Perfect!"

The camera smattered as Laura walked into the room, but to her surprise it was not Blaire who was being photographed. The blonde stood to the side, dressed properly and enigmatically discussing something with another woman. Laura marched up to them and glared at Blaire, who smiled.

"Babysitter's here again", she commented to her friend. The brunette she had been talking to laughed, before walking over to a table holding some coffee cups.

"You know, you don't have to come find me every time", Blaire remarked and gathered up her things. "I'm 21, you know."

"Yeah, I do", Laura replied, "because your irresponsibility will soon come back to hurt you. Again."

Blaire glared at her.

"This is what I want to do with my life. I'm not arguing about your days inside a dusty tomb of books."

They walked out into the rain and Blaire opened up her large umbrella.

"Let's get a coffee before we catch a train home", she said, "and something to eat; I'm starving!"

Laura frowned at her sister's sudden chipper mood, then shrugged.

"As long as it's nearby."

"Sure", Blaire said and turned a corner. "It's right over there."

She pointed at a white apartment complex on an adjoining street and Laura squinted in order to read the text on the sign outside the door.

"_The Enchanted Forest_?"

"The most magical cup of coffee you've ever had", Blaire dramatically explained. "Come on, I'm paying."

"Since when do you do that?" Laura asked. Blaire grinned.

"Since now."


	15. INTRO: Josh

**New Character #12: Josh**

"When will you be back?"

Josh sighed and tried to focus on the article he had printed out the same morning.

"As soon as possible", he promised. His girlfriend, Therese, huffed impatiently.

"That's what you always say", she said, "but you've been gone for almost a month now."

"I haven't done everything yet", Josh replied and glanced up at the clock on the wall of the station. Seven in the morning. That meant one in the morning, the next day, for Therese.

"Love, I'm going to have to hang up now", he said. "I have to head down to the subway. I'll call you again later, alright?"

"Yeah", Therese said. "I love you."

"Love you too", Josh said before he hung up. Quickly he then gathered his belongings and walked downstairs. A yawn escaped him as the subway train approached the platform but he threw away any thought of sleeping onboard. Last time he had done that he had missed his stop – four times – and he definitely did not have time for such errors again today.

He was heading to New York University to give a speech about global warming. He had given the speech at least a hundred times before, so he was not really worried about getting it wrong. No, he was more worried about the fact that today's event would be attended by two prominent American Senators. If his speech affected them the way it was intended to affect people he would have taken the first big step towards his goal.

* * *

><p>Josh exhaled in relief as he stepped off the stage and accepted a cool bottle of water from a person standing behind the black curtains.<p>

"That worked out well", she remarked.

"Thanks", he replied, shooting her a quick smile. Then he stopped. The woman was of Indian descent, with thick black hair and deep brown eyes. She cocked her head at him.

"What?"

"Sorry", Josh quickly apologized, "I was... surprised to see you. I mean, I was expecting Nathalie to man the drinks today as well."

The woman chuckled.

"She's sick, or her child is sick, so I offered to step in. I'm Indira."

"Josh", he said and accepted her outstretched hand. Behind him he could hear the continuous applauds, but they seemed to matter little to him right now. In fact he could not really understand what they meant anymore.

"You're supposed to go out there again", Indira remarked.

"Oh. Right, yes. Look, can I take you out for coffee sometime? Apologize for my slightly rude behaviour, perhaps?"

"Sure", Indira replied. "I work in a café not far from here. I'll leave the address with your water bottle; got to run to the next gig, you know."

Josh smiled widely, before he hurried back out onto the stage. As he bowed to the audience his thoughts were no longer on how the Senators were reacting to it all, but instead focused on the Indian woman and made him sneak a glance back to where she stood. She was scribbling the mentioned address on a piece of paper.

His mind then flickered briefly to Therese.

"Shit", he muttered to himself, grateful that the mike was no longer on. This was going to get complicated.

* * *

><p><strong>Not many characters left to introduce now!<strong>


	16. INTRO: Serena

**New Character #13; Serena**

She always brought her camera with her for this specific reason. There it was; a perfectly lit scene if a pair sitting on a bench in Central Park. It would have been beyond perfect to have something like that in your portfolio.

Now, however, all Serena could do was berate herself for leaving her camera, her beloved video recorder, back in her apartment in Manchester. By order of her mother, though, who had organized this trip for her and claimed that her bag would have been too heavy with the camera. Which was probably true, but Serena would not have minded leaving some of the shoes her mother had insisted she had to bring along. She had been here for a week now yet not used any other pair but her trusted green Converse.

She kicked a loose pebble to the other side of the path, took one last glance at the scene she badly wanted to film and then aimed for the entrance to the subway. Some of her friends would have argued that she could have used her phone to record it, but Serena would have hated that more; the quality of such a recording could never capture the depth and colours of a proper camera recording. At least according to her.

She took a train heading south, away from Central Park and back to her hotel. Her mother would have wanted her to head back to New York University, as that was why she had organized this trip in the first place; to get her daughter to apply to a university and study for a couple of years instead of making short films that she uploaded to YouTube. She did not see how many views her daughter's short films on got, how many nice comments people sent her. She did not see why Serena was doing this or the fact that she met with hundreds of people in the industry every year, showing them her films in order to try to get some small behind-the-camera-work. Acting was not what she wanted to do; her sight was set on the director's and producer's chair. And her short films were a way of getting there.

She managed to catch a half-empty train and leaned back on her seat, plugging in her headphones to listen to some music. She had gone through almost three songs when the train rattled and slowed down, causing her and several other passengers to look up and remove their headphones. After a while the speakers scraped.

"We seem to be experiencing some technical difficulties", a male voice said, "so we're going to pull in to Prince Street Station. We've alerted the personnel on site and..."

Serena stopped listening to the message and put her headphones back on. Prince Street was not too far from where she would have gotten off anyway, so she might just as well walk the last bit. The weather was good, so she really did not have any excuse.

She got off with the rest of the people onboard and walked up the stairs. The majority of the others followed the instructions of the station personnel that guided them to replacement busses that would take them on past the damaged section of the track. Serena headed in the opposite direction, walking down Broadway, past an H&M store that she was tempted to check out. Even though she evaded that temptation she could not stop herself from turning right at the next crossroad to walk down Spring Street. It was a slight detour, but walking past all of the luxury stores – Burberry and Channel were some of her favourites – always made up for it. She could walk down one of the adjoining streets and then walk back to Broadway using Broome Street.

She had passed almost all of the stores, ogling the expensive designs, when she decided to head back towards Broadway. She turned down Wooster Street and stopped when she saw the unfamiliar sign standing out on the road. It had not been there two days ago when she had walked this way.

_The Enchanted Forest Café_

_Two floors up_

She looked up the ordinary looking apartment complex, wondering when there would have been time for a café to open here. However, she did feel a bit hungry. Perhaps she should head up and get something to eat before heading back to the hotel. After all, this had to be cheaper than the hotel's own restaurant.


	17. INTRO: Danielle

**I will most definitely finish these intros today ;)**

* * *

><p><strong>New Character #14: Danielle<strong>

"God damn it. Sorry, Danny."

Danielle frowned at her cousin's stressed voice coming through the speaker on her phone.

"Am I calling at a bad time?" she asked. Marcus, her cousin (slash quasi-brother), sighed.

"No, not really. I just managed to smash a plate. Again."

"Remind me to buy you plastic plates for your birthday; sounds like you could need them every time a girl walks out on you."

"Ha ha, very funny", Marcus replied. She could hear the sound of a door being closed and guessed he had moved from the kitchen to the living room in his apartment.

"So", he said, a squeaking signalling that he had sat down in his old couch, "what can I do for you, Danny?"

"I'm not a customer, Mark", Danielle pointed out. "Just because of that I call you in the middle of the day it doesn't mean I need something from you."

"I'm guessing you do, though", Marcus said. "Come on, tell me; what is it you need from your cousin up in cold Canada to brighten your day in sunny, warm New York City?"

Danielle grimaced up at the clear sky. Sure, it was sunny, but it was definitely not warm. Her cheeks had turned bright red after a brisk walk from her hotel to the nearest library.

"Alright then", she sighed. "I was thinking of staying here for a bit longer, to do some more research."

"Sure. Why am I the first to know?"

"Because you need to convince my dad that I'm not dead or that I haven't run away from home or any of the other strange scenarios that he might come up with."

Marcus was silent for a while before he replied.

"Sounds like a challenge, but sure", he said. "May I ask what's so interesting?"

"Nothing special", Danielle replied, while tightening the grip on the old, leather-bound book she was holding in her right hand. There was no need to worry Marcus about her findings, or the fact that they were as far from psychology-studies as they could possibly be. No matter how calm or nonchalant he could act this would send him over the edge.

"Well, whatever", he said. "I promise to talk to him during family dinner tomorrow night, but you'll have to call him as well. It almost sounds like you're evading him."

"Thanks, Mark", Danielle said, ignoring the point of her evading her father. "I owe you."

"Yep, you do", Marcus replied. "Enjoy New York now, Danny. Go visit the White House."

"That's in Washington DC", Danielle pointed out.

"Whatever."

Danielle smiled as she hung up and put her phone back in her pocket, before hurrying across the street. Marcus always made her happy. He was seven years her age, but they had grown up next to one another and after Danielle's mum had passed away in a car accident when she was four Marcus' parents had stepped in and assisted her dad. Neither she or Marcus had any other siblings, meaning they saw one another as that instead. They could talk about anything.

Well, almost anything. She looked down at the book she had found at the library. Thick, with yellowing leaves and an old binding. The librarian had not even recognized it and said that it had probably been placed there as a prank, and that Danielle was free to keep it if she wanted to. Which she definitely did.

Now she needed somewhere to sit and read it properly, but it had to be private. Her hotel room felt too insecure as it was still early in the morning and some cleaner might show up while she was reading. No, she needed to take this somewhere else. A place where she could snuggle up in a corner without anyone noticing her.

A flyer posted on a light post caught her eye and she stopped to read it.

_Need to get warm?_

_We serve the best tea, coffee,_

_and hot chocolate on Manhattan._

_The Enchanted Forest Café_

_89 Wooster Street, New York_

Danielle hesitated for only a moment before pulling out her phone and typing in the address on the GPS-app. A non-commercial café might be the solution to her problem.

"Taxi!" she called and waved at one of the yellow cars passing by when she realized that the café was too far away for a walk. The cabdriver nodded at her as she sat down in the backseat.

"Where to, ma'am?" he asked. She could not help but notice that his accent sounded slightly British.

"89 Wooster Street", Danielle replied. The driver nodded and steered out into the traffic again. Danielle stared out at the houses passing by while clutching the book to her, completely oblivious to the fact that the cabdriver had not turned on the taximeter or the fact that the steering wheel was moving on its own.


	18. INTRO: Imogen

**New Character #15: Imogen**

_A weekend in New York – for a reasonable price._

Imogen leaned back in her chair and stared at the title of her project. A simple thing to write, most would argue, and definitely not something you would need to actually head to New York to write; there were enough articles about it available on the internet to get you through the writing. However, Imogen wanted something unique, to talk about things that no one else had talked about before. Because that was what got you noticed, what marked you as ambitious. Also, by actually going to New York she was able to do a short documentary about the things she wrote about. She planned to film short snippets at every location and then edit them and add a commentary track.

So far, though, she had nothing. Every time she had come up with an idea she had checked how many that had included it in their articles and quickly decided that none of the things she had thought of were unique enough.

With a disappointed groan she closed down the empty document and opened up Twitter instead. A series of new tweets from her friends and various celebrities passed by on her screen as she absentmindedly scrolled down. She favorited and retweeted a couple of them, such as a tweet from her sister about a passed exam. Then she closed down her computer and got out of her chair, instead throwing herself onto the bed and taking out her phone.

Imogen had been playing various games on her phone for almost an hour when she felt the slight headache that signalled a coffee abstinence. She had been drinking coffee several times per day since her early teens and now, at 21 years old, she was as close to an addict as you could be. However, she had tried to cut down on this type of drinking while here in the US because she thought the coffee here was way too weak. It tasted more like water with a slight coffee-flavour than coffee. She knew, however, that when she got an actual headache she could not avoid drinking at least a small cup.

"Well, then", she said to herself and sat up, "let's get this over with."

She put on a black coat and a green scarf and rummaged through the pile of clothes on top of her bag in the corner of the hotel room until she found what she was looking for; her umbrella. Then she headed out of the room, double-checked that the door locked behind her and then headed towards the elevator.

Once outside she opened up her umbrella and started walking down the road. She always walked a lot longer than she needed to in order to get her coffee, because she knew that on the way she might spot something that might be worth writing about. Every time she passed something interesting she had to stop and check the internet for articles about it.

Right now she walked a road that she had walked several times before during her stay here, so there were not many things that she found new and interesting popped up. Not until she was half-way up Wooster Street on her way to Spring Street she noticed something that she had not seen the last time she walked here. A sign was placed out on the pavement outside one of the last buildings before the crossroads. As she got closer she realized it was a notification of a new café.

_The Enchanted Forest Café_

_Two floors up_

She smiled slightly at the sign, then hurried over to the other side of the street to take a photo of the place. A café built into an old apartment complex; that was not something you saw every day!

She then hurried back across the street and stepped inside the black door, rang the doorbell to the café and then almost ran up the stairs. Her journalist mind smelled a scoop, sure enough, but her nose smelled coffee. Real, proper, strong coffee.


	19. INTRO: June

**New Character #16: June**

It took June a few moments to realize why the ceiling above her head looked so unfamiliar. It was not the ceiling of her family's apartment back in Manila, or the ceiling of her dorm-room at Cornell University. No, this ceiling belonged to an entirely different room; a hotel room on central Manhattan. Her parents' birthday gift for her.

Of course she knew that they probably had a reason for sending her here. They always had reasons for sending her to various places and she had a good guess why they had sent her here. For months now they had talked about their old friend's son who worked in New York, someone she had apparently played with one or two times when she was a kid. She would not be surprised if she suddenly found a message for her down at the counter from said person asking if they could "catch up". June groaned and rolled over in bed, hoping she could go back to sleep or at least stay in bed all day. The latter option was, of course, a possibility, but she also felt the city outside calling to her. Even though she lived and studied in the state of New York, she had never visited New York City before. This was a rare opportunity for her and even if today might end in an uncomfortable dinner with a man her parents would very much like her to get on with and eventually marry (it would not be an arranged marriage, exactly, but her parents would certainly have pushed her into the arms of said man) she should not waste the day by lying in bed all day.

With great effort she pushed herself up and walked into the bathroom to take a shower, before getting dressed and readying her things. She could never leave a messy room, especially not a hotel room. It had always been that way. Her brother had teased her about it ever since they were children, but her mother had said that it was a good trait.

When she was satisfied with the look of the room she walked out, made sure that the door locked behind her and headed down to get some breakfast. While eating she discreetly checked the room for people who might be Filipino. She saw none and quickly finished her meal, before hurrying out through the hotel's main doors.

The day was clear and cold, very unlike the weather she would experience back in Manila, but after studying for almost a year in Ithaka she felt quite accustomed to this type of weather. There were a lot of people out in the streets that day, a Saturday. Her parents would never have allowed her to leave her university unless it was a weekend. Now all she needed to do was keep busy throughout the day, stay away from the hotel, and when she got back and possibly received a dinner invitation from her parents' old friends' son she could say that it was far too late for something like that.

She started by wandering around quite aimlessly while checking out various stores on the way. It did not take her long to collect a variety of bags; mainly small things that did not cost too much, but she had allowed herself to spend some money on a really nice trench-coat. She had always wanted one and this one had looked really great on her when she tried it on, so there really was no reason not to buy it. Her phone showed that it was almost noon already and she decided to find somewhere to eat. Something simple; she was never that hungry in the middle of the day. But it would be nice to be allowed to stay at the restaurant or café even after she had finished her dinner. Just sit there and relax and perhaps start reading the book she had found on a sale in a store she had passed through. Hence why the flyer attached to a wall caught her attention; it was decorated with hand-drawn figures of animals, flowers and leaves, circling a short text.

_The most magical lunch_

_you've ever had!_

_Head over to the Enchanted Forest,_

_the newest café on Manhattan_

_for a large selection of lunch dishes!_

_89 Wooster Street, New York_

June considered the ad for a while before taking out her phone and writing the address in the search bar.

"Yes", she said to herself when she realized that the café mentioned in the ad was not more than three blocks away. She quickly set off along the route her phone had suggested while keeping her fingers crossed that this café was indeed one of those that allowed you to remain for a while after you had finished eating.

* * *

><p><strong>Done with intros! Well, actually, there is one more new character that will get an intro, but I won't be able to write that one until I've written more for <em>Cold Heart<em> ;)**


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